


Constant Vigilance

by OfTheFlamingHeart



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Origin Story, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-08 18:35:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16434668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OfTheFlamingHeart/pseuds/OfTheFlamingHeart
Summary: In the early, formative years in Thomas’s mind, a new side emerges. Vigilance, co-leader with Morality, keeps a watchful eye on  “Comfort.” When “Comfort” starts showing signs of abnormality, Vigilance sets out to find the truth.





	1. Vigilance’s Diligence

Vigilance, a diligent personification of a young child’s personality, might not have been the first named side but he was the leader. It was hard to to say whether Morality woke first or not. Each named side started out as a blank side, a sleeping, unexpressed portion of the creator’s personality. Blanks came from the subconscious, in a room they had taken to calling the nursery. When a blank woke up, they watched the Creator until they understood what emotion or trait to which they responded. 

Vigilance learned his trait quickly. His trait said to be cautious, stay safe, and to do what mother said often, ‘Be careful.’

His lists of things to watch out for grew as he learned. The stove was hot, stay close to mom, walk when the ground was wet. Vigilance did his job well, reminding the Creator of these things and dozens more. the Creator didn’t always listen, but Vigilance tried. 

His brother Morality helped out too. Morality reminded the Creator that doing the right thing was good. Following rules was good. Listening to the adults was good. Break the rules and there would be trouble, or worse, hurt. Vigilance didn’t like it when the Creator hurt himself. Morality didn’t like seeing anyone hurt. 

They both had their hands full with Creativity. Vigilance wondered whether Creativity had been the first to awaken, given his name. There were two problems with that theory. First, Creativity would definitely be more of a nuisance if he thought he was older. Second, Creativity was very immature.

Creativity wanted to explore. Creativity didn’t like rules. Creativity wanted freedom. And crayons, and paper. And sometimes not paper. Morality and Vigilance took turns trying to teach Creativity and the Creator at the same time. Things got a little easier when the Creator started watching Disney movies. Creativity wanted to be a little prince, which Morality found quite amusing. Vigilance was just glad that Creativity would now do whatever they convinced him a good prince would do.

Logic was one of the youngest blanks to get an emotion. If you could call it that, Logic was rather stoic. Logic was also a brat. If he thought he knew something, he couldn’t be told otherwise without solid proof. But when he got excited about learning things, finding proof, and making new connections, Vigilance sighed in relief. 

“Vig, could you remind him that his left shoe goes on his left foot, please?” Morality asked. 

“Why didn’t you tell him?” Vigilance asked as he took a break from referee-ing the dispute between Creativity and Logic as they decided between cool and real tiger designs. 

Morality shrugged. “It felt like you should because that’s what you do. I don’t want to take your job. I have my own and I like it!”

“Fine, you take over with C and L,” Vigilance instructed.

“Okay! Tigers are cool!”

Sighing, Vigilance closed his eyes and concentrated. He appeared in the Creator’s vision, across from him on the floor. “Wrong foot, silly boy. Look at the curve. It doesn’t bend like your foot does.”

“Oh,” The young boy said. “I knew that. This is the wrong shoe.”

Closing his eyes so he couldn’t roll them, Vigilance smiled as the young boy righted himself. Satisfied that he’d fixed things, Vigilance returned to the Creator’s mind and walked back his three brothers. 

All three were drawing their own tigers. Logic was using orange, Morality had pink, and creativity was using blue. Picking up a paper of his own, Vigilance grabbed the closest crayon without looking. It was black. Vigilance started drawing stripes, deciding to ask Logic for his orange later so that Logic would feel better.

Before he could start, his eyes lingered on the black crayon in his head. Looking around, he noted Morality’s tan cardigan, Logic’s blue clip on tie, and Roman’s red prince sash. Black was a comfortable color, Vigilance decided. He looked down at his gray shirt and blue jeans. Concentrating, he turned his blue jeans black. Satisfied, he returned his attention to the other sides.

Looking up, he saw a blank Side approaching. Standing, he tapped Morality on the shoulder. This drew Creativity and Logic’s attention as well. This new side wore bright yellow gloves. Almost identical to the ones the Creator’s mom wore when she did dishes. His shirt and pants were still white, just like a blank side would be.

“Hello! I’m Vigilance. This is Morality, Creativity and Logic,” Vigilance said, introducing each side. “Do you know your name?”

The blank side smiled as he got closer. “I’m really happy to meet all of you. So maybe I’m Delight?”

“Well, the rest of your outfit hasn’t come in yet,” Vigilance said. “If you’re not sure, you’re probably something else.”

“What’s the first thing you remember?” Morality asked.

The smile dimmed as the new side thought about it. “The first think I remember is a boy telling himself something that made him feel better. So I must be Comfort!” At that, the white pants the new side was wearing turned black. Vigilance huffed and turned his black pants back to blue. The sides had all agreed to not dress exactly as each other. It was hard enough when they all looked like the same person.

“Comfort? Well, that’s close enough for now.” Morality said. 

“But his shirt is still blank!” Logic pointed out. 

Comfort pouted, tugging at the collar of his shirt. Vigilance noticed a green spot near the base of Comfort’s neck, but when he looked again, Comfort’s shirt covered it. Before he could ask, Creativity hopped up and gave Comfort a side hug. “Just for now, Logic, so we don’t have to call him something else. Comfort, what do you think of my outfit?”

Comfort smiled again, returning the side hug. “You look like a Prince, Creativity! I think that’s really cool!”

As Creativity preened at the compliment, Vigilance resolved to handle the matter of the green spot privately.

He got a chance later at bedtime. Each side changed into sleepwear for the night. Morality had cat-print pajamas. Creativity had a princely red and white night gown that he insisted on calling a robe. Logic had sensible black and white pajamas, with a unicorn emblazoned on the chest that he staunchly refused to acknowledge. Vigilance wore gray sweatpants and a matching sweatshirt. 

Comfort didn’t seem comfortable with changing. None of the other sides had ever been body shy. They all had the same body, after all. “Maybe you’re Decency?” Vigilance mused as Comfort looked at the shared wardrobe. “Which is about time. I keep telling the Creator to not shake his bottom at people, but he doesn’t listen to me. He thinks it’s funny.”

Comfort shrugged, and snapped his fingers. Or tried to, the gloves didn’t really allow for that. His outfit changed to match Vigilance’s sleepwear. “This seems comfortable enough for me!”

Vigilance sighed, changed his pajamas into darker gray ones and held up a hand as Comfort made to pass him. “Comfort, let me look at your neck, please.”

Instantly, Comfort looked at Vigilance with wide eyes. “Why?”

“That’s why. You’re hiding something.”

“You’re going to think something’s wrong with me.” Comfort said, uncomfortably. The poor kid looked on the verge of tears.

“I won’t if you just show me. I promise,” Vigilance said, reassuring as he stepped in close to the new side. 

Comfort looked back into Vigilance’s eyes. “Okay.”

Vigilance pulled down the collar on Comfort’s sweatshirt. “What is that?” Vigilance asked himself as he stared.

“It’s a scale,” Comfort replied. “Ouch! Did you yank on it?”

Vigilance took a step back, the scale in his hand. “No, I promise! It just fell off, though.”

Comfort pointed at the scale in his hand. “Liar! That hurt!”

“I promise I’m not lying!” Vigilance said, locking eyes with Comfort.

After a moment, Comfort looked away. “Did it really fall off?”

“See for yourself.” Vigilance held up the scale for inspection. “When did this grow on you?”

“Right after I woke up. Thomas told himself something that made him feel better, then the scale appeared.” Comfort winced, grabbing at his neck. “Ow, it keeps hurting!”

Vigilance looked down the scale in his hand. It was green, shiny, and tough. “That’s...different. I wonder what it has to do with your personification?

“Persowhat?” Comfort asked, bewildered.

“Sorry, Logic remembered that word from something mom said. It means the emotion or trait you stand for. I’m the personification of our creator’s vigilance. So I’m careful, I pay attention to details, and I look out for the Creator and my fellow Sides. My brothers.”

“Even me?” Comfort asked, still rubbing his neck.

Vigilance beckoned him close and wrapped his arms around Comfort. “Even you, little brother. Well, whatever this means, we’ll handle this together. I promise.”

“You promise a lot.” Comfort said into his shoulder.

Vigilance stepped back and looked Comfort in the eyes as he held onto his shoulders. “Only what I think I can handle. I don’t want to be uncomfortable.”

Comfort frowned. “Was that a joke?”

“Was it good?” Vigilance asked.

“Definitely!” As they walked to their own rooms, Comfort reached up and felt a new scale grow back in the old spot. In spite of the promise, he still didn’t feel like telling Vigilance about it. The thought of it made him uncomfortable and so he decided not to tell.

Vigilance waited for Comfort to enter his room. The room and door always appeared whenever a new side appeared. There probably wouldn’t be much in the way of decoration, but Comfort would have the basics. A bed, blanket, and just about everything the Creator had in his room in the world outside the mind. Instead of going to his own room, Vigilance knocked on Logic’s door.

Logic opened, yawning and looking adorably irritated. “Is there a problem with the Creator?”

“I’m afraid the problem is with Comfort.” Vigilance took hold of Logic’s hand and placed the scale in his palm.

Logic took a step back as he examined it. Turning away, Logic remembered himself and waved at Vigilance. “Almost forgot, please come in.”

Vigilance entered, pleased that he wouldn’t have to break one of Morality’s rules. It was rude to enter another Side’s room without permission. “That scale was on Comfort’s neck, just under his shirt. He said he noticed it around the same time he woke up. It fell off as I was looking at it.”

Logic set the scale down on his desk and went to wash his hands. Although he wasn’t one for feelings, the feeling that scale radiated was not one Logic was fond of. “It just fell off?”

Vigilance nodded. “I’m worried, Logic. What if it happens to us? What if Comfort gets covered in scales?”

“We really need to find his actual name. It would give us a clue as to what this scaliness is about,” Logan said, picking up the scale with a pair of tweezers. “I will need to figure out what kind of scale this is.”

“The library then?” Vigilance asked. Logan nodded. The subconscious library kept a record of most everything the Creator ever read. Some things were forgotten or missing parts, but whatever scraps they could find would be useful. 

“And you should go to the Nursery. See if any other blanks have scales,” Logic recommended.

Vigilance nodded. “Well, we better get some sleep. I hope the Creator goes to bed soon. There’ll be trouble if he stays up past his bed-time.”

Logic shrugged. “That’s Morality’s job. The Creator doesn’t listen to me very much.”

“He will, sometimes he just needs to learn in his own way first,” Vigilance said reassuringly, as he set his hand on Logic’s shoulder.

There was a brief flicker of something positive on Logic’s face. Gratitude, Vigilance decided. Then Logic pointed at the door. “Go on, to your own room.”

As Vigilance exited, he bumped into Comfort. “Oh! Are you okay? Is something missing in your room?”

Comfort shook his head. “It’s just hard for me to sleep without someone nearby.”

Vigilance sighed. Creativity had been the same way. Even now he would occasionally sneak into Morality’s bed. Which was why Morality put the ask-first rule into place. “My room isn’t exactly comfortable. I have a lot of alarm clocks. And I wake up a couple of times during the night.”

“Maybe you need someone to sleep with too?” Comfort suggested.

Vigilance sighed. “One night. My room isn’t like the Nursery.”

“I don’t care, it’s fine,” Comfort said. 

Leading the way to his room, Vigilance noticed how distracted Comfort looked. “So, have you thought about your name? Comfort has to be part of what you are, but I don’t think it’s the main thing.”

Comfort shook his head. “No.”

Vigilance thought for moment as he took out his keys. He was always sure to lock his own door. “Maybe Relief? Or Reassurance?”

Comfort shrugged. “I don’t think it matters what I’m called.”

Vigilance turned around in his doorway. That was never how any of them felt about their names and purpose. “You don’t?”

“Is that bad?” Comfort asked, his eyes wide at Vigilance’s vehemence.

Vigilance took a breath and shrugged. “Sorry, no. This is your first day. I shouldn’t be asking so much of you. Call it an overabundance of caution. Our other brothers and I did care a lot, but it’s okay to be different from us. It’s just how the Creator made you.”

“Why do we call him the Creator? Does Thomas actually create all of us?” Comfort asked.

Vigilance’s eyebrows shot up. “You know his name?”

Comfort shrugged. “It was part of that first thing I remember. He said his own name to himself.”

Vigilance folded his arms. “Well, we don’t use his name unless we’re talking to him. His name is one of our greatest tools to get him to listen to us. So we have to be careful about how much we say it.”

Comfort sniffed. “That’s not entirely true, is it?”

Vigilance tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“I think I can tell when someone isn’t telling the truth. Or the whole truth.” Comfort folded his arms. “I could tell you were telling the truth when you said my scale fell off.”

Scratching his head, Vigilance turned to one side. “That’s strange. Truth should be Morality’s job.”

“I don’t think my job is telling the truth,” Comfort admitted, wincing. He looked away for a moment and took a breath. 

Vigilance recognized the look on Comfort’s face. “We don’t have to worry about your job right now.”

Comfort’s face bunched up, tears starting to well in the new Side’s eyes. “What if I’m not good at it?”

Vigilance took a step toward the distraught trait. Comfort closed the distance and hugged Vigilance without warning. Vigilance took a step back from the force of it, but kept his balance. Returning the hug, Vigilance felt the Creator’s mind relax. “It’s time for bed, Comfort.”

“Is that what it feels like when he goes to bed?” Comfort asked, his eyes already heavy. 

Guiding them both to bed, Vigilance laid his brother down first and the climbed in over him. “Yes. Now it’s our turn.”

The two sides started out separate, but Vigilance woke up in the middle of the night. His back was very warm, and he realized Comfort had cuddled up to him. Vigilance didn’t like his back that warm, so he climbed over Comfort again and cuddled against Comfort’s back. Comfort snuggled in and held onto Vigilance’s arm. 

In the dim light of the alarm clocks, Vigilance saw the new scale on Comfort’s neck. He poked it gently, feeling the smooth, solid scale and the soft skin around it. Comfort grabbed the hand and pulled it away. 

“I’m sorry. Did I wake you?” Vigilance asked.

“Please don’t touch it.”

“Sorry, I won’t.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”


	2. Low Morale

Vigilance was irritated. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a new emotion for him. In this particular case, he was irritated for many reasons.

First, none of his alarms woke him up. Being a light sleeper, Vigilance was accustomed to waking up before the Creator did. Doing so Vigilance could help him get focused on what he was to do each morning. When he failed to do so, the Creator woke up in a haze of confusion. This time, the Creator stubbed his big toe on his dresser. The pain did wake Vigilance up. 

Comfort slept through it, of course. Vigilance’s immediate thought was that Comfort should be handling the Creator in that moment. When the pain subsided, Vigilance thought better of it. Comfort was only newly awakened, after all. 

Morality almost lectured him. When Vigilance opened the door to get his earful, Morality saw Comfort hogging the blankets. So instead, Morality just shook his head at both of them. 

Creativity and Logic were both in sour moods from the rude awakening. They were less forgiving. If Morality hadn’t told them to stuff it when he heard Comfort coming down the stairs, they’d have kept complaining. Morality said it nicer, of course. 

Logan finished his breakfast first and announced that he was going to the Library. Comfort actually expressed interest in going to see it. So now the two of them would be delving into that hoard of half-remembered knowledge. Vigilance left it up to Logic. At least the Library was safe. Not like other places in the Creator’s mind.

As he helped Morality clean the dishes, Vigilance sighed.

“What’s up with you today, sport?” Morality asked. 

“Sport?” Vigilance replied, arching a brow.

“Tho—I mean, the Creator’s older brothers say it,” Morality explained. “So?”

Ever watchful, Vigilance noted the slip. “Is Comfort rubbing off on you? I thought we all agreed—“

Morality sighed. For once, he looked serious instead of playful. “Vidge, Thomas is growing up, he’s starting to doubt things like Santa and the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. Maybe our obsession with not using his name is just like that. Superstition.”

“If we use his name too much—“ Vigilance began.

Morality shook his head. “Thomas doesn’t listen to Logic very much, even when Logic uses his name. I think it’s time we were more active.”

Vigilance scoffed. “I think I’m active enough, thank you. I’m going to the Nursery.”

Morality set down the plate he was washing. “Kiddo, that’s not someplace you go to a lot. Why?”

Vigilance shrugged. “I want to understand more about Comfort.”

Morality turned away from the sink and faced toward where Vigilance was drying the dishes. “Then talk to him. Is this why Logic is going to the Library?”

Vigilance decided to lay it all out. “Comfort has scales growing on his neck. Logic and I think it means something bad.”

Morality’s eyes widened, then he looked down and scratched his eyebrow. When he looked back up, Morality looked Vigilance in the eyes. “He’s not like...him. Comfort is nice, even if that’s not his real name.”

“You think everyone is nice, Morality. I know that we can’t expect that to be true all the time,” Vigilance countered. 

“I thought you and he were getting along. You even shared your bed with him,” Morality said.

Vigilance nodded. “That’s how I knew his scale grew back.”

“What kind of scales?” Morality asked.

“Does it matter?” Vigilance asked.

Morality threw his hands out wide. “Lots of animals have scales. Fish. Turtles.”

“Snakes. Alligators,” Vigilance pointed out. 

“So watch him. That’s what you’ll do anyway. And I’ll talk to him. One of us has to be the leader here and I think you’re too afraid,” Morality said sharply as he turned back to the dishes.

Vigilance balled his fists but then took a calming breath. “Fine. I’m going now. If I find a cast-off snake skin in the Nursery, maybe that will prove I’m right.” He crossed to the door.

Without bothering to turn his head, Morality spat back, “We don’t decide who lives here. If Thomas decides he belongs with us, then he does. Whether you like it or not.”

“Morality,” Vigilance started to walk back to try and explain himself. Maybe make Morality see the necessity of the situation.

Turning to talk over his shoulder, Morality interrupted, “Go to the Nursery. There’s no use arguing with you when you’re like this. Let me know what you find.”

“Fine.” Turning back again, Vigilance walked out the door and off through the Creator’s mind.

The mental pathways around the Sides home looked much like the real world around the Creator’s home. Beyond that, they became less detailed. Vigilance usually took care to avoid the sketchier, less-defined roads. In his early days, he’d seen the fringes at the end of the subconscious. Some parts peeked into the real world. Some dropped off into darker places. 

Before he knew it, he found himself in front of a simple red-brick home with a white picket fence. This place always felt safe to Vigilance. 

He walked up to the door and reached for the door-knob, but hesitated. Glancing around at the windows, he felt as if someone was watching. For the first time he wondered if this would be allowed. None of them had ever come back. Letting the worry and paranoia pass, he took charge of himself and opened the door. 

The inside of the house was white, as he remembered. There wasn’t much in the way of furniture in the first room, except a recliner, seated in which was a woman who looked strikingly familiar. She lifted her eyes over the edge of a book and gestured for him to come over. Her face showed neither warmth nor coldness, not anger nor happiness. She seemed to simply accept that he was here.

As he got closer, he realized why she was familiar. “Thom—the Creator’s mother!”

Her eyes widened, eyebrows raised, “You call him the Creator? I suppose that’s true, in a way.”

“What is your name, ma’am?” Vigilance asked politely.

She smiled, “I don’t have one. Does that trouble you?”

It did, but Vigilance tried not to show it. “I just thought—“

She cut him off. “You’re here about the new one who just woke up. Only one day in and he already worries you?” She asked, setting down her book.

“He’s growing scales,” Vigilance replied.

“Yet he has done nothing wrong?” She asked.

“You think I’m being shallow?” Vigilance asked.

She shook her head. “I think very highly of you. Of all of you. Even the ones that grow scales.”

“Did he grow them before he woke up?” Vigilance asked. 

“No. But you skipped your introduction. What is your name?” She asked.

“I am Vigilance,” he replied.

She frowned. “Is that any kind of name?” 

“It’s more of a name than you have!” Vigilance protested.

She laughed. “I’m Comfort, Care, Nurturing. I don’t know exactly what you would call me. But you’re not worried about me, you’re worried about the new one.”

Vigilance nodded. “The new side thinks he’s Comfort. You can’t both be the same.”

“I think your name is too broad. Is no other one vigilant? Do they not take care of themselves?” She asked. 

“They do. But being Vigilant is my primary job,” Vigilance said.

“Then it’s your job, not your name. I prefer the name Karen.” Standing, Karen beckoned for Vigilance to follow.

“That’s a real world name,” Vigilance pointed out as they passed through a side door and into a kitchen. Karen set her book at the table by the window. 

She turned on the stove and set a pot on to boil. “You should have a real name too.” 

Unsure of what to say, Vigilance sat at the table. Karen looked down at her book. Vigilance followed her gaze and read the cover. ‘The Divine Comedies.’ 

“Is it a funny book?” He asked.

“In a way, yes,” She replied. “Thomas’s mother read part of it to him once. I picked this up from the library when it first opened.” 

“So you’re the oldest?” Vigilance asked, hopeful to have something answered.

She puttered around, gathering ingredients as she went. “One of. I’m Thomas’s image of motherhood, as Patton is of fatherhood.”

“Patton?” Vigilance asked.

“He visits me a few times. Blue polo, tan slacks, looks a lot like you,” Karen added that last bit with a knowing smile. She added a few things and stirred. From the smell, he guessed it was cocoa.

“Morality?” Vigilance asked. 

Turning the knob down, she covered the pot and turned to him. “Is that what you call him? He is a dear. Decided to raise you all by himself so I could tend the ones who haven’t become aware yet.” She opened a cupboard and brought out a tin. 

“He has a real world name?” Vigilance asked as she brought the tin over and opened it to reveal the dry cookies that Thomas’s mother loved. 

She nodded. “Patton. From ‘pat on the back.’ But it was also a movie that Thomas’s father watched.”

He thought about the information as he reached for and chewed on a cookie. They weren’t as nice as Patton’s but they were pretty good. “So Karen is a play on caring?”

“You guessed it.” Karen turned back to add a few things to the cocoa. 

“Why didn’t he give us real world names?” Vigilance asked as he reached for another cookie. 

“Don’t eat too many of those. You’ll spoil your appetite,” She reminded him. “I suppose you’d have to ask him. But I did give you one, Vigilance.”

“You did?” Vigilance asked, incredulous.

Karen took a moment to taste her cocoa before answering. “You were one of the first to become aware. Before we decided to separate. I never did tell Patton, though. I suppose he let you all choose to be named after your jobs.”

Toying with the half a cookie he had, Vigilance asked, “Why don’t I remember you?”

Karen shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Looking down, Vigilance decided to think about it later. “So, what’s my real world name?”

Karen looked over at her copy of the Divine Comedies. “Virgil. It’s the name of a Roman poet, who in this book guides the protagonist through the inferno and up into purgatory.”

“Virgil.” Vigilance sounded it out. Karen returned to the pot and tended to it.

Stirring idly, Karen piped up after a pause. “You don’t have to use it, obviously, if you prefer your trait name instead. But you shouldn’t get too hung up on defining yourself by your trait. In time, you may incorporate more than just Vigilance. Just as Patton is more than Morality.”

At the mention of his fellow side, Vigilance wondered. After a hesitation, he asked, “Why did you separate?”

Fussing with the gas knob, she sighed. “One of the newly aware at the time was causing too much of a fuss. Then you came along. We were afraid he’d disturb the sleeping sides. Patton hoped that your influence would calm him. Even with the horns.”

At the mention of horns, Vigilance understood. Those first few days had been confusing, but he remembered the violent child he grew up with. “Tantrum.”

“That is an apt description, I guess.” Karen said with a far-away look. “I called him Tim. He was such a little thing and he needed so much attention. How is he now?”

Vigilance could feel the emotions hit the pit of his stomach. “Thomas refused him. Tantrum still flares up, but he’s moved on to the darker spaces of Thomas’s mind.”

Karen looked at Vigilance, her face inscrutable. Finally, she looked away and took the pot off the stove. “However we may appear here, we always have an influence over Thomas. I’m sorry to hear that little Tim has had so much trouble.”

Vigilance thought things through, and realized something. “Morality never told you? It’s been years.”

As she poured the cocoa carefully into two mugs, she shrugged. “I suppose Patton has his reasons. But it’s not in my nature to hold anyone’s failures on anyone else’s head. Cinnamon and marshmallows?”

“Yes, please,” Vigilance answered as she brought the mugs over. 

Setting down the mugs, she retrieved the accoutrements and doled then into his mug. “Here you go, dear.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Vigilance said as he stirred his with a honey stick.

“I’m not really that much older than you, kiddo,” She chided.

As they sat and sipped, the front door opened and footsteps softly fell closer until Morality entered the kitchen. He paused at the doorway to take in the sight before smiling. “Karen, I hope you haven’t put too many thoughts in his head.”

Vigilance answered irritably, “She only told me my name. She staunchly refuses to explain Comfort. Or whatever his real name is.”

Patton seemed to relax as he crossed to the table and pulled up a chair. He turned it around and sat on it backwards. “Well, kiddo, I hope you realize this means I was right. The best way to find out something about someone is to go straight to the source.”

“Patton, don’t be an ‘I told you so.’ Everyone has to come to their own conclusions,” Karen chided over her mug.

Patton looked at her brightly. “You’re right, Karen.”

“I told you so,” Karen said.

Vigilance scrunched his nose. “Didn’t you just say...”

Morality waved a hand dismissively. “It’s something she told me a long time ago. That you would question me and I wouldn’t know how to handle it. But I knew she would.”

They sat in thoughtful silence. Virgil tested his real world name out in his head some more and decided he liked how it sounded. It was an uncommon name, none of Thomas’s friends had it. But at the same time, he wanted to keep it close; like a secret.

“You won’t tell Patton my name will you?” He asked, his eyes sharply falling on Karen’s pleasant face.

“Not if you don’t want me to.” She discretely picked up her book and set it on a bookshelf in the kitchen. 

“Well, that’s not fair. You told him my name!” Patton protested. 

“You never told me not to tell anyone. Vigilance did,” Karen pointed out as she did a little strut back to her seat.

“Fine, keep it a secret,” Patton said, waving a hand at her. Turning back to Vigilance, he asked, “How are you going to handle Comfort?”

Vigilance took a deep breath and looked away. “I’m going to talk to him. See how he interacts with Thomas.”

“Are we saying his name now?” Vigilance could practically feel Patton’s gloating smile without having to see it.

“Don’t make me say you were right,” Vigilance said.

“I won’t gloat,” Patton said, unconvincingly. Vigilance turned to face him and still saw the gloat in his smile. “Well, maybe a little.”


	3. Self-Deceit

“I am not mad about it, I am simply asking for you to apologize,” Logic stated.

“I don’t know what I have to apologize for!” Comfort countered.

“Now I know it was on purpose! You can’t seriously stand there and say that you have no idea what I’m talking about.” Logic folded his arms.

“Kiddos, what is this about?” Morality asked as he stood in the doorway.

Creativity set the handful of popcorn he was about to eat back in the bowl and piped up from the couch. “Comfort tossed a half-rotten book at Logic in the library but now he won’t admit it.” 

“I just happened to make the observation that Comfort’s scales looked like a certain green tree snake and the next thing I know I’m covered in bits of moldy paper and tattered bindings.” Logic looked back at Comfort, who was pretending not to be listening.

Morality pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. Letting it out, he looked at Creativity. “Are you eating popcorn on the couch?”

Creativity’s eyes widened. Around a mouthful of popcorn, he replied, “No.”

“Liar,” Comfort chimed. “Maybe it was Princey McLiar over there.” 

Logic threw his hands up. “He wasn’t even at the Library with us!”

Vigilance stepped around Morality and fixed a glare at Comfort. Comfort looked away first. “Sorry, Logic. I did it, ow!” Comfort held his neck. 

“Let me see your neck, please,” Vigilance ordered as he took a step forward.

Aware of all the eyes on him, Comfort looked very uncomfortable. “Can we do this somewhere else?”

Vigilance stepped forward and raised a hand toward Comfort’s collar. “Now, Comfort.”

On the verge of tears, Comfort pulled his shirt away. Several scales were creeping up from his collar-bone. Logic looked fascinated. Morality looked concerned. And Creativity—

“Oh eww! That’s so creepy,” Creativity said thoughtlessly. Comfort covered his scales and ran upstairs. Vigilance, Morality, and Logic all looked at Creativity with varying amounts of disdain. “What? You look at those slimy scales and tell me they aren’t freaky!”

Morality started up the stairs. “Creativity, eat at the table or you’ll be in more trouble. As soon as I calm Comfort down you’re going to apologize. Logic, take a shower, you smell like a flooded bookstore.” The two sides huffed and headed to the kitchen and bathroom respectively.

Vigilance followed Morality upstairs. Morality turned around and quirked an eyebrow. “Where are you going?”

“I want to help with Comfort,” Vigilance said.

“Fine, but you owe him an apology for embarrassing him in front of everyone.” Morality turned back and stepped towards Comfort’s door. 

“But I didn’t say—“

Morality whirled back around, catching Vigilance off guard. “No arguments! You told him to show his scales off when you knew he was uncomfortable about it.”

“Fine, you’re right,” Vigilance said.

Morality poked Vigilance in the chest lightly. “That’s right. Now let’s go charm a snake.”

Vigilance smiled. “You might not want to use that word. We don’t know what he might throw.” 

At Comfort’s door, Morality knocked softly. “Hey sport, it’s Morality. Can we talk?”

“Is Vigilance out there?” Comfort said from the other side of the door. 

“Yes, and he’s sorry,” Morality replied.

“Really?” Comfort asked.

“Really,” Vigilance said after Morality nudged him. 

“Fine.” The door unlocked and they heard a shuffling noise as Comfort moved away from the door.

“We’re coming in,” Morality said as he opened the door.

As Morality and Vigilance walked in, they blinked in confusion. The walls were covered in sheets that moved in an invisible breeze. Picture frames of all sizes were behind the sheets. As Vigilance reached to move a sheet away from a frame, Comfort grabbed his hand.

“My name isn’t Comfort,” he said. “I found my name in a book in the library of his brother’s vocabulary homework.”

“Who are you?” Morality asked, cautiously.

Looking at the frame Vigilance was about to uncover, the once-more-unnamed side let go of Vigilance’s hand and moved the sheet aside. 

In the picture, Thomas sat at the dinner table. As they watched, he tucked his vegetables into his napkin. 

“Did you eat your veggies?” Thomas’s mother asked as she walked in the frame. 

“Yes ma’am,” Thomas lied.

The sheet fell back into place. “Every time he knowingly tells a lie, I grow a scale. Any time I tell the truth about myself I lose one. Painfully. I thought since I made him felt better that I was comforting him. But Thomas is only comfortable with lies. I’m not Comfort. I’m Deceit.”

Vigilance and Morality stared at the now-covered frame in disbelief. Then they heard a soft thud. Turning, the newest side was on the floor, a few discarded scales on the ground beside him. 

As Morality helped the new side up, Vigilance shook his head. “You’re a deceiver. How can we trust him?”

“Now is not the time, Vigilance,” Morality warned as he let Deceit down on the bed. 

“How badly could he really be hurt from just a scale falling off? Patton, we need to think about this.” Vigilance tugged on Patton’s sleeve. 

Patton waved him off and went back to covering Deceit in a blanket. Once he was done tucking Deceit in, he turned back around and pointed at the door.

“Did you realize your clothes are getting more and more gray?” Patton asked once they closed Deceit’s door. 

Looking down, Vigilance realized Patton was right. He tried to lighten the color, but the shirt went back to a dark gray no matter what color he changed into. “It’s fine. It’s just that I’m in a mood. It’ll lighten up later.”

“We don’t need trouble from more than one brother at a time, Vidge.” Patton brushed past and down the hall. 

“So you’ve just forgotten Tantrum Tim?” Vigilance goaded.

Patton stopped. Vigilance regretted the remark instantly. “Patton, I shouldn’t—“

Patton turned around. “Do you know why I never gave any of you real world names? It turns out when you name someone, you get really attached to them. In spite of everything he did, I miss Tim. I miss his energy. I miss his passion. I miss how important things were to him. Thomas might have pushed him away, but I never wanted that. It’s stupid, isn’t it? To care about someone who doesn’t care about you the same way. Thanks for reminding me. And it’s Morality, if you please.”

Turning back around, Vigilance was left with the stinging rebuke and his own guilt. “I’m sorry,” he said softly, long after Morality went downstairs. 

“I’m sorry too, Vigilance,” Deceit said as he stepped out of his room. A bowler hat was perched atop his head and his shirt had turned almost black and long-sleeved. 

Turning back around, Vigilance sighed. “If Thomas feels like developing a sense of deception for whatever reason, then let me give you some advice. Be careful how big the lies get. Be careful who you tell him to lie to. He pushed away dark feelings before, so he could definitely do it again.”

“Are you threatening me?” Deceit asked cattily.

Vigilance shrugged. “If—no, when—you take things too far, you won’t have to worry about me.”

Deceit rolled his eyes. “Sure.” Slinking back into his room, Deceit closed the door. 

Vigilance felt his heart race. He took a deep breath, but exhaled quickly when he realized his own clothing had darkened another shade. Feeling the need to relax, he resolved to hurry Logic out of the shower.


End file.
